These 6 orgs and gatherings can keep you connected to Baltimore’s tech scene

How does a first-time entrepreneur — or a seasoned one new to Charm City — find the network they need to be successful in Baltimore’s tech ecosystem?

These six organizations, meetups and forums collectively offer an answer, opening gates and paving paths that can make navigating Smalltimore’s tech world a breeze.

Equitech Tuesdays

Hosted every Tuesday by UpSurge Baltimore‘s Director of Relationship Development Kory Bailey, Equitech Tuesdays gathers Baltimore technologists to network and discuss a theme centered around equitech — a framework that prioritizes leadership by underrepresented founders, diverse teams and solutions that address systemic societal challenges.

Baltimore Tracks

Baltimore Tracks is an organization and coalition dedicated to improving racial equity in the Baltimore tech community. It counts over 40 local tech companies among its members. If you’re a founder with a small network, it offers a great opportunity to connect with like-minded, mission-oriented founders and technologists.

Baltimore Regional Tech Council

The newly created Baltimore chapter of the larger Maryland Tech Council is currently led by Ed Mullin, the executive director of the Baltimore Robotics Center and a fractional CIO and CTO consultant with operations consulting firm Think Systems Inc. Engaging with this recently active entity provides a chance to connect with other businesses and stakeholders that want to bolster Maryland’s tech ecosystem.

Greater Baltimore Committee

While the Greater Baltimore Committee is more of a general business association than a tech-focused one, it still offers the benefits of connecting to a wider professional network. Its planned merger with the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore stands to make that network even bigger

ETC Baltimore’s Open Mic Pitch Night

Coworking space and incubator Emerging Technology Center (ETC) has collaborated with such partners as VC firm Squadra Venture to host Open Mic nights almost monthly. These events, the next of which takes place in late June, allows founders to showcase their businesses to other startups and perfect their pitches through constructive feedback.

Technical.ly Slack

Our own publicly accessible Slack channels gather technologists, entrepreneurs and professionals across multiple markets. It’s a place for entrepreneurs and job-seekers alike to network with the Technical.ly community and find resources.

Donte Kirby is a 2020-2022 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation.